Peter van der Veer steps down at EAA and Ahoy Rotterdam

Peter van der Veer has stepped down as CEO of both the European Arenas Association (EAA) and the Ahoy Rotterdam venue.

Van der Veer, who joined the association in 2006 and has been an active board member since 2012, was elected EAA CEO last April, replacing AEG Europe’s Brian Kabatznick. He had been joint CEO of the Ahoy – whose Ahoy Arena has a capacity of 15,000 – since 2011, alongside Jolanda Jansen, the pair taking over from Jos van der Vegt.

According to Jansen, van der Veer’s resignation – which “came as a surprise” to the venue’s 250 staff – came due to “some differences of opinion” with the Ahoy’s management. Jansen has confirmed to IQ she stays on as solo CEO.

“The group will elect a new president at their next meeting in Kaunas, Lithuania, in April”

In a statement provided to IQ on behalf of the EAA board, the association says it will elect a new CEO later this year.

“Peter van der Veer has resigned his position as president of the EAA,” it reads. “The group will elect a new president at their next meeting in Kaunas, Lithuania, in April. Until then the EAA board members are maintaining direction of the association.”

The EAA, founded in 1991, represents 36 arenas across 22 European countries.

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